2022 4th Quarter Hoosier Legionnaire

Hoosier Foursome Takes On The Challenge of National Leadership

nprecedented it may or may not be, but it certainly is rare: Four outstanding Legion family members from one Department have taken on the mantle of leadership at The American Legion National Organization for the current Legion year.

The Department of Indiana, during recently concluded national convention deliberations in Milwaukee, WI, stood proudly as Vicki Koutz was elected National Auxiliary President, Past Department Commander Ken Hylton was elected one of five National Vice Commanders, Chris Carlton was elected National Commander of the Sons of The American Legion, and long-time Department Historian Steve Defeo accepted the daunting duties of the SAL National Historian.

“We are proud of the accomplishments of these outstanding members of the Indiana American Legion Family,” said Department Commander James Daube.

“We are confident that the National Organization is in good hands,” he added.

“What a true honor this is,” said American Legion Auxiliary 20222023 National President Vickie Koutz during her installation speech at the 2022 National Convention in Milwaukee.

We are on to another year of the ALA with a continued focus on serving our veterans, military, and their families with Koutz in the ALA’s highest volunteer leadership position.

Koutz is the third ALA member to serve as national president from the Department of Indiana; the previous national president, Alice Galka, served during the 1988-1989 administrative year.

Humble, kind, and considerate, Koutz puts others ahead of herself, truly living the ALA motto of Service Not Self.

Koutz has lived her entire life in Boonville, a town in southwestern Indiana, with a population of about 6,500. Koutz has been married to Jim for 50 years, and they have a son, Michael. He spoke on stage at convention about his mother during the installation of officers ceremony.

“The day is finally here, and we are so proud of her,” he said. “I know my mom will accomplish a lot this next year. I encourage you to break out of your comfort zone.”

For the 2022-2023 ALA year, Koutz’s focus is to honor our veterans every day. Additionally, the national president’s project will be on National Veterans Creative Arts Festival companions.

“Sometimes, companions can’t afford to pay for a meal plan,” she said. “This broke my heart. The one person who is a constant in their life couldn’t stay with them during meals.”

Her project on companions is triple tiered — money for a meal plan, travel, and/or a separate hotel room if needed for non-family member companions.

Koutz is also working to raise awareness on our country’s Prisoners of War and Missing in Action. Her husband, Jim, returned to Vietnam years later after serving overseas to help dig for remains, and since then, wears a POW bracelet all the time.

“Listening to him talking about his experiences made me realize how important it still is today,” she said.

Vice Commander Hylton’s more than 47 years of Legion leadership enhance his supporting role as one of five Vice Commanders. Kenneth C. Hylton was elected as a national vice commander of the nation’s largest veterans organization during The American Legion National Convention in Milwaukee on Sept. 1, 2022.

Hylton is a life member of St. Joseph Post 464 in St. Leon, Indiana. He has been a Legionnaire since 1975. He is eligible for membership in The American Legion through his service in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1973. He served with the 301st Army Security Agency Battalion, attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg,

N.C., and later transferred to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo. After serving in the military, he worked for the U.S. Postal Service from 1973 through 2006.

Hylton has held many offices and chairmanships at the post and district level. He is a dual member of the Sons of The American Legion Squadron 464. At the department (state) level, he served as department vice commander in 2008. He served on all four commissions and was elected commander of the Department of Indiana in 2014. He was appointed as Indiana Commissioner of Veterans Affairs by then Gov. Mike Pence, representing The American Legion for five years.

Hylton served as county veterans service officer for Ripley County, Ind., since 2007, raising awareness of veterans services in local areas. He is nationally accredited through The American Legion to serve all veterans and families.

Hylton has been married to his wife, Carol, for 42 years. They have three children, seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

Commander Carlton represents a new generation of leadership for the Sons of The American Legion, built on solid experience and a well thought out plan for the coming year.

Christopher Carlton is a 16 year member in good standing of Leo F. Welch Jr. Squadron #495 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Christopher’s eligibility is through his grandfather, Edna M. Carlton, a United States Army veteran who served during WW II and his father, Mirron A. Carlton, a United States Army veteran who served during the Vietnam War Era.

Chris has held most offices at the squadron, district and detachment level, becoming Detachment Commander of Indiana in 2015. On the national level Chris served as Chairman of the Child Welfare Foundation Committee for 2 years and Chairman of the Veterans Employment and Education Commission for 1 year.

Chris graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1993. He graduated Horizon School of Evangelism in 1995. Chris earned a 2 year degree from Ivy Tech College through the Sheet Metal Workers Local 20 Apprenticeship and is also a graduate from the National Management Institute.

Chris is a Journeyman sheet metal worker; he currently is a Mechanical Team Lead and Certified Welding Inspector with Altec Industries for the last 11 years.

Chris has been married to his wonderful wife and partner, Veronica Carlton, for 14 years. Veronica is a 35 year member of the American Legion Auxiliary at Leo F. Welch Jr. Unit #495. Veronica works as a BSN RN at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Hospital in Indianapolis, IN.

Chris and Veronica are dedicated to the values and principles of the American Legion Family and are always willing to volunteer their time to their post, and for veterans everywhere.

As Historian, DeFeo’s acceptance of the challenge before him is undergirded by his 6 years of chronicling Indiana’s progress and achievements as Historian for the Department of Indiana since his July 2016 appointment.

De Feo has been a member of Kenneth N. Dowden Wayne Post 64 for 13 years. He is eligible for his membership through his service in the United States Air Force from 1979 to 1991. He served as an Air Weapons Controller and Public Affairs Officer from the base-level to a major command-level. Following his service, he eventually worked for Simon Property Group as a system analyst/email administrator for 25 years upon his retirement in 2022.

He holds memberships in all four Legion entities. His eligibility in the Sons of the American Legion is through his father, Jasper F. De Feo, a World War II Navy veteran. His membership in the Auxiliary is through his wife, Rebecca, a U.S. Air Force veteran. Additionally, De Feo is a member of 40 & 8 serving as Correspondent for Voiture Locale 145, Greenwood Indiana.

De Feo has held several offices at the Post level, most recently as First Vice Commander. He is also active in the 11th District, first as Historian and currently as a Vice Commander.

His SAL responsibilities have also reached the highest levels serving as SAL National Historian for 20222023.

De Feo has earned awards nationally for his narrative histories. He has earned two First Place awards and three Second Place awards in the annual American Legion National Historian’s Contest.

De Feo is married to his wife of 39 years, Rebecca, who is an active Legion member. They have two sons and one grandson.

National Auxiliary President Vicki Koutz

National Vice Commander Ken Hylton

National Commander of the Sons of The American Legion Chris Carlton

National Historian of the Sons of The American Legion Steve Defeo

L eading H oosier L egionnaire L etters

you who don’t know, US Highway 20 runs through the first, second, third and fourth districts in Indiana.

jim daube

DEPARTMENT commander

First of all, thank you to The American Legion, Department of Indiana for the opportunity to serve as your commander. It has been an exciting and enlightening first quarter.

As some of you may know, US Highway 20 runs from coast to coast, and has been named the Medal of Honor Highway. A Medal of Honor Flag is being passed from state to state, beginning with Oregon to the East Coast, through the help of The American Legion, along with other service organizations. I was honored to receive that flag from the Department of Illinois, and then pass it on to The Department of Ohio. It was very special to have our National Commander Vincent “Jim” Troiola with us on this venture.

It was a very busy week as we left Indianapolis on Sunday following the department executive committee meeting, then stopping at Post 6 in Kokomo for lunch on our way to the First District. For those of

Pam Shook ALA PRESIDENT

Greetings to my American Legion Family, It seems the commander and I have settled on a membership bet. The loser has to give $100.00 to the other’s project. That sure sounds like a win-win situation to me. I have great faith in the Auxiliary, and they will come out on top again this year.

It was wonderful seeing so many Indiana members at Vickie Koutz’s homecoming. What an exciting time we all had. Touring the southern part of Indiana

Monday, October 3 we were hosted by Post 80 in Whiting for breakfast then on to Post 502 in South Haven for a coffee break and more hospitality by the Second District. Next stop was Post 297 in the Third District for a quick lunch. Then we traveled to the Fourth District at Post 31 in Angola for the program to pass the flag on to the Department of Ohio with dinner following. A busy day to say the least.

Tuesday through the rest of the week we visited the rest of the districts, stopping at a post in each district, including one of our thirteen prison posts, Pendleton Post 503. Followed by stops at 152 in the 10th District, 89 in the Ninth District, 204 in the Eighth District, 18 in the Seventh District, 331 in the Sixth District and 495 in the 11th District. Thank you so much for your hospitality, fellowship, and good food. We also had two very interesting stops at Marengo Warehouse and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Back to Department business. I want to thank all of the districts for their hard work to help Roger reach our membership goals. We can’t go wrong

was a treat, especially for us northerners. I discovered some great places to return to for another visit. I saw a number of purple sunglasses, thanks to Sherrie McGee. Her children and youth project is doing very good.

Overall, programs are going well and it was wonderful seeing the response for the Florida relief. The garage at headquarters looked like a diaper store. Our Legion Family comes through when called upon with short notice. It makes me proud to be a part of this wonderful organization. We have the holidays coming up and there is always a need to help our veterans. Some will need warm clothing for the cold weather, while others need

Executive Committeeman

if this great work keeps up. While everyone knows that membership is the life blood of the American Legion, the heart that pumps that blood is the programs.

An educated Legionnaire is one of our most valuable assets to our organization. Know the programs and let the people in your communities know what we do for the veterans and the youth in your communities. This information can only stimulate interest in our organization and hopefully, help drive membership. Also, think about honoring First Responders, Police - FireEMS and Teachers, and the Military whether it is active duty, reserves or National Guard. Make them aware of the money and scholarships that are available.

One of the national commander’s programs is Be the One, which deals with the terrible problem of veteran suicide. This will be a multi-year program, but with Veterans Day almost here, reach out and let our veterans know how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice for our country.

Thank you again for the support as your department commander For God and Country.

food and shelter. Let us reach out to those in need and make their lives more comfortable. This includes our military children.

It is never too early to think about our children going to college. There are several scholarships available to help make the burden lighter on the pocketbook. Many scholarships are not awarded because there weren’t any applications. Let us make sure this opportunity is not missed. The applications are on both the department websites and the national websites.

When you thank a veteran, thank their family also. It can be hard on the family, too.

CHARLES GEMLICH SAL DETACHMENT Commander

I want to say hello to the Indiana American Legion Family and bring greetings from all the Sons of The American Legion members of the Detachment of Indiana. What a great year it will be with Department Commander Jim Daube and Department President Pam Shook.

My project this year is Operation Comfort Warrior. This is a very worthwhile American Legion program that I don’t feel gets enough attention. We are asking each Squadron in the Detachment to do what they can to support Operation Comfort Warrior. Anyone in the American Legion Family who donates

CHAD WOODBURN department adjutant

American Legion Family, it’s hard to believe that 2022 is almost gone and 2023 is quickly upon us. Fall conference, the national commander tour, national fall meetings, and the national auxiliary president homecoming have come and gone, and all were huge successes.

Speaking of the national commander’s tour, thank you to everyone, at every stop. The national commander enjoyed his tour of Indiana and was extremely happy to see the turnout of The American Legion Family and hear about the great work you do for veterans and your community. Pictures of the tour can be found at https://imageevent. com/vjt2022/Indiana

Mid-winter will be here before we know it. We are looking at a great day of training opportunities on Saturday. Just a few ideas so

$500, or more, will receive special recognition and a plaque. Thank you for your dedication to this project as it helps so many of our veterans.

We had our first bingo at Indiana Veterans Home on October 15. As always, it was very well received by the residents. They enjoy the games and the prizes we give them. Thanks to those members who were there to assist those residents in playing bingo.

Membership is the life blood of the American Legion Family. The Sons of The American Legion in Indiana asks for your help at your post in promoting the SAL. The more members we have the more we can help you, our veterans.

The holidays are fast approaching. Make sure you check on the veterans and their families in your area who might be in need.

I hope to meet you in my travels this year.

far- membership/mylegion training, chaplain training, training from Indiana State Excise/Gaming- just to name a few. Do you have a training idea that you would like to see at mid-winter? Email info@indianalegion. org with your idea.

Just a quick note from national fall meetings: the registration fee for national convention will be going from $25 to $35. Also, national is working on “Be The One” suicide prevention training, and we will share it with our members as soon as we receive it. We will also look into offering it at mid-winter conference.

We have around two years left on our contract with the Marriott. Soon, we will be opening a bidding process that will include the Marriott. If you have any concerns about remaining at the Marriott, or have another location you would like us to consider in the Indianapolis area, please email info@indianalegion. org with your comments. Thank you for all you do for this organization, veterans, and your community.

Tom Frederick

Northern VICE COMMANDER

Angie and I had a great time at Valparaiso Popcorn Festival and American Legion Post 94. The parade was great along with their music and activities at the post. They also had The American Legion information canopy set up for the public to learn more about the American Legion, our programs and membership. Fall Conference allows us to learn more about our programs. You can attend the different sessions that interest your post to learn along with your district chairperson. Angie and I were honored to meet National Commander Vincent J. Troila at conference and learn more about “Be the One” to help a struggling veteran and help bring down suicide.

From the conference we went to Kokomo Post 6 to start our northern state visitation with National Commander Troiola and his aide Gary Schacher, Department Commander Jim Daube and his wife, Lois, National Executive Committeeman Ed Trice, Assistant National

Ken Cooper and Adjutant Chad Woodburn. We enjoyed a great lunch and putting competition, and then on to Whiting.

Monday morning, we all enjoyed breakfast at Whiting Post 80. We kicked off the journey carrying the Medal of Honor Flag to pass to Ohio American Legion.

Next was Paul Robert Strange of Post 502, where we had snacks and donuts.

I mingled among the members to talk about our programs and participation.

On to New Carlisle Post 297; greeted by post members and served a great lunch.

On the final leg of the Medal of Honor U.S. Highway 20 dedication and Commander Troiola’s visitation, we arrived at Angola Post 31. They had a great evening meal and had Congressman Jim Banks, State Representative Denny Zent, author of the Indiana U.S. Medal of Honor route bill and Mayor Dick Hickman. Commander Troiola spoke about his coming year as our national commander and “BE THE ONE”, a National Program to help veterans and prevent suicide. This program will be around for many years.

Tuesday October 4, my final journey was to Pendleton Prison Post. It was great

to meet all their members and learn about the things they do for the community. They had a great program and met National Commander Troiola. They have excellent art painted on the walls of their meeting room.

Department Commander Jim Daube, Adjutant Chad Woodburn and National Commander Vincent J. Troiola spoke at each stop with National Executive Committeeman Ed Trice introducing the national commander.

The dedication and visitation had excellent participation at every stop. Great job!

I was honored to be part of the Medal of Honor dedication, because my great great uncle Frank Carr was a Medal of Honor recipient during the Civil War at the Battle of Nashville.

Our flag education is better this year; up to sixtyeight posts from fifty-seven last year. Good job!

Now we need to work on our other programs for the people and students in your community! DON’T CHEAT YOUR COMMUNITY!

American Legion Hoosier Boys State, we need at least three hundred boys this year. BE THE ONE! Thank you.

I am enjoying traveling to the district meetings and posts. We have great posts, which make you feel welcome -- Great Indiana Hospitality -- Great Food -Great Legion Family Members !!!!!

Ask yourself, what is my post’s or district’s path to success? What can I do to help my American Legion Post meet Commander Daube’s goals in programs and membership? He wants eleven district award winners in each category on stage, and of course he wants each post to meet the

target date percentages. A little help from all of our American Legion Family Members will go a long way to ensure your post meets our commander’s goals.

Sign up for notifications for the Be The One Program at Be the One / The American Legion at Be the One / The American Legion (legion.org). Be the One to save a veteran. The American Legion is working on having online training sessions to ensure we know who to refer a veteran to for assistance. More to follow.

Hope to continue to enjoy my travels in the Sixth, Seventh and 11th Districts and see everyone at MidWinter Conference in January 2023.

Today’s Program Events

High School Oratorical Contest – applications to compete are open

4th Grade Flag Education is underway

Americanism and Government – Testing begins on November 1 Hoosier Boys State – registration is now open at www.hoosierboysstate.org Bowling Tournament – registration is open

‘Of the Year’ Awards – nominations are open Eagle Scout of the Year and Girl Scout of the Year –nomination forms are open

American Legion Family Scholarship – applications are available online

Gina Owens Southern VICE COMMANDER

Ron Byrley

Southern VICE COMMANDER

Greetings from the south, districts eight, nine, and ten.

First I would like to wish you all a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and a prosperous New Year. At this time of giving, a gift of membership to a family member or another veteran that doesn’t belong is a great way to give a lasting gift. While on membership, our three districts are getting back to the basics; knocking on doors and contacting our members for Buddy Checks. On drive a-rounds, we are helping the post by working with the post commander and his officers to call unpaid or expired members to renew.

We are moving closer to the time that all our programs are underway. Registration for the Boys State program has been open since the fall conference. A new, more proactive application is available at www.hoosierboysstate.org. The goal is to build this program back to three hundred or more this year. Registration for Indiana Youth Cadet Law Enforcement Academy opens on January 1. The goal this year for Law Cadet will be seventy-five cadets. Hopefully, all districts are working on candidates for all of the “Of the year Programs” by now. Remember “Pro-

Steve DeFeo DEPARTMENT HISTORIAN

It is midway through The American Legion year. Historians, are you compiling information documenting your posts’ activities throughout the year? Are you doing something to pass down your legacy to future Legionnaires? You have that responsibility and obligation.

I’m here to help if you need it. Reach out to me with any questions, or if you need assistance.

Reaching out is an important part of the Legion legacy. Such was the case in 1937 when the Ohio River froze and flooded its banks. Flooding so bad that thirtyseven people lost their lives along the Ohio River. It took massive effort to help those affected by the crisis. The American Legion Family was there to help.

grams are the Key to Membership”. The president recently signed into law the Pact Act, the long-awaited help for our veterans of toxic exposure and the burn pits. All who are eligible are encouraged to file their claim now as they will start reviewing claims in January 2023. This is described as one of the largest expansions in the history of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Over 5 million Vietnam, Gulf War and post- 9/11 Veterans are eligible. Please talk to your county service officer and get registered.

National Commander

Troiola, during his recent tour of Indiana, emphasized the importance of the “Be the One“ campaign, asking our posts to become resource centers for veterans needing someone to talk to without the stigma that people associate with suicide. There is a new QR code on the national website www. legion.org that will keep you updated on the “Be the One” campaign. Remember “Be the One” that does Buddy Checks and “Be the One” who helps prevents one suicide a day.

I am available for any help I can give, contact me by cell at 812-760-8280 or email at rbyrley@gmail. com.

Thanks again for allowing me to serve.

Gail Galich

Northern VICE COMMANDER

Hello Hoosier Legionnaires, Greeting from the north. This sure is a GREAT time to be a Hoosier Legionnaire. Why? We got the TEAM. Have you realized that we have four national officers from our state? American Legion Auxiliary President Vickie Kouts, the Eighth District, PDC Ken Hylton, NVC, the Ninth District, Chris Carlton, National Commander Sons of The American Legion, the 11th District and Steve DeFayo, National Historian, Sons of The American Legion, the 11th District.

Since my installation back in July, I have been staying busy by visiting posts with their fundraising, parades, community, and school activities, I REALLY enjoy it.

My first conference was

a good reminder that ALL OF US need to be looking for candidates for ALL the programs. The flag education program is underway now. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had eleven candidates in each program? Remember, if the programs are working, MEMBERSHIP is working. Speaking of membership, CONGRATULATIONS to the department for reaching our 50% target date; again another reason to be a PROUD Hoosier Legionnaire.

It was also a pleasant surprise to have the National Commander Jim Troiola at our Fall Conference and to show up at Commander Daube’ Halloween Party.

A BIG Shout Out to posts (80 Whiting, 502 Valparaiso, 297 New Carlisle, and 31 Angola) for hosting our national commander and state officers. It took a lot of hard work and preparation for the arrangements of the handing off of the Medal of Honor Flag to our neighboring state of Ohio. I want to remind EV-

at and actually bites us in almost every spectrum of consumerism. COLA’s being predicted to rise to the highest level seen, yet even at best predictions, they will not keep up.

ERYONE of a few slogans. I know September was suicide prevention month; ANYTIME is a good time to do a BUDDY CHECK

So:

1. BE THE ONE – National Commander Jim Troiola’s

2. BETTER TOGETHER – Department Commander Jim Daube’s These are two good stepping stones for us to work with.

I am here to help relay messages from the department to the northern districts and represent the commander in his absence and help where I am needed.

Again, I look forward to going around this GREAT state of ours to meet and greet more of you. Last but not least, I want to thank the district commanders and auxiliaries for their hospitality and the GREAT meals they have provided during my visits.

Stay safe, God Bless You, God Bless our Veterans and God Bless the USA

Many Hoosiers became the ones to render aid and help rescue people from flood waters.

Today many need to Be the One to countless veterans who are facing a crisis down to the depths of their being. Crises so severe they are either contemplating suicide or committing it.

Veteran suicide rates are high. They fought and sacrificed to serve our country and now many need help. All they need is to talk to someone to help ease their pain and maybe point them in the right direction for help. They need someone to reach out to toss them a lifeline.

Will you Be the One to reach out? Will you Be the One to become educated on how to help them reach out to help? Training might take a little time. Talking to a veteran in crisis might take more but saving a life and bringing someone back from the brink ensures that you have helped give a veteran more time to live.

Become aware. Become educated. Be the One

Being an agricultural state we are aware of the season of harvest as fields after fields are cleared of crops. Our trees begin to turn from a few hints of color to a full-blown palate of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. The air cools and a light frost ushers in a transition to be followed by snow. Entering our last quarter of the year, our calendars become full of plans for events and gatherings.

Our Posts will soon turn busy with plans for Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and before we know it Hanukkah and Christmas. Fall vacations and travel will transit to family get-togethers and the long-distance travel of the season. The family table becomes a center of focus as the smells of seasonal foods permeate the air. Guest rooms are cleaned and brightened for extended family arrivals. There is much joy to be had in this season.

This November is especially important as we hold midwinter elections. The U.S. House and Senate are up for possible changes and very few of us are not concerned about what polarity will surface in 2023.

Uncontrolled inflation nips

Roger Hilligoss MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPERSON

It is truly an honor to represent Commander Daube as his membership chairperson for the 2022-2023 membership year.

I am thoroughly enjoying my travels across the state. I have criss-crossed the state from top to bottom. I am pleased to report that I have visited every district at least once. I have been to many great Legion posts and have enjoyed meeting the wonderful people at each of these posts.

The 2022-2023 Awards Manual is now available on the department website. This is your “go to” source

Most of our posts will be involved in sharing funds with local food pantries, clothing events, and providing food and gifts to help the less fortunate. A number will be involved in hosting community dinners and gatherings. Special challenges will arise this year with the rapid increase of inflation, shrinking resources, and increasing demand. Many will also be involved with caring for active duty personnel and veterans in need.

Our national commander’s focus on veterans’ suicide is commendable as a 57% higher rate than our general population is of grave concern. However, we must not forget two other major segments of society at risk are teens and seniors. The holiday season always incurs a higher rate of depression and possible suicide. We must increase our sensitivity and awareness of those who exhibit peculiar behavioral changes and withdrawals from social interaction.

This makes me very aware of our need for diligent chaplains at our posts and beyond. Outside of meetings, funerals, and gathering prayers, chaplains are often called upon to be initiators and re-

for all of the target dates and cut-off dates as well as a description of the department incentives and awards.

Additionally, National Commander Triola has announced several awards programs including the “Be The One” pin (recruit 3 new members) and the V.E.T.S. pin (reinstate 5 members). These can all be found on the national website (legion. org).

The membership year is off to a strong start. We have met the goals for both the National Early Bird target date and the National Fall Meetings target date. The Department of Indiana is currently in 29th place amongst the other departments. We had 233 posts achieve the Early Bird goal. These posts have all received their Early Bird chips. Addition-

sources of our caring and reaching out to the post and community. As our society moves deeper into secularization, our chaplains are being called upon to do more and more work that once was assigned to clergy and religious institutions. Our mid-winter conference has been designated as a major training event. This year it will be my pleasure to host a two-hour department-wide chaplain’s training to go over a basic understanding of the role of a chaplain. Resources will also be shared. I urge local posts to send their chaplains to our conference. All chaplains of our American Legion Family are welcome to attend. I would appreciate notification of those planning to attend so appropriate accommodations and resources may be obtained. We are entering a season of caring and sharing. I believe this year is of great importance with the immense needs that lie before us. While we don’t know what tomorrow holds, we do know who holds tomorrow. May we find great joy in caring for those in need. This is a place where the Legion Family shines brightly.

Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

Isaiah 58:10 NLT

ally, (as of October 13) we have 9 posts around the department that have already achieved or exceeded 100% of their membership goal. Several others are extremely close to achieving 100%.

As we approach the holiday season, I encourage everyone to continue to work their membership programs. It is going to be exciting to see which posts win the Lincoln Pilgrimage awards. In closing, I would like to thank the department staff for their hard work and support. A special shout out to Audrey Copeland and Aaron Bacon of the membership department. Audrey has advanced her career, so we congratulate her and thank her for her work in the membership office. We look forward to the good efforts Aaron will deliver in the membership office.

NORRIS KEIRN DEPARTMENT CHAPLAIN

FROM THE DISTRICT COMMANDERS

American Legion served the breakfast buffet style, serving both sides.

Michael Wooden

1st DISTRICT COMMANDER

Dear American Legion Family,

First I want to thank those who participated in the First District penny raffle fund raiser. Many people donated items to the auction. Thank you for those donations. We ended up with forty-six baskets of goodies with values between $35 and $52. We made a really good start in covering the costs of the district. A special thanks to Barb Sales for donating one of her remarkable pineapple upside down cakes. It earned $100. Many people donated money. Dan Mills won $155 in the 50/50 raffle and donated his winnings to the district. Thank you, Dan.

Indiana designated US Route 20 as the Congressional Medal of Honor highway. The department commander drove the department van to take the Medal of Honor flag from Illinois to Ohio. The flag was escorted by National Commander Jim Troiola, Department Commander Jim Daube, VFW State Commander Rich Leirer. Thanks to those of you who took the time to visit with the group and the Mayor of Whiting, Steve Spebar, on October 3 in Whiting Post 80. There were more than seventy people present. Several of our dual VFW/ AL members swapped hats for photos with the department and state commanders. Post 80 Sons of The

I was scrolling around in “indianalegion.org”. Under the heading “FORMS & FILES”, selecting subheading “Downloads”, put me into a folder labeled “Indiana Legion Forms & Files”. There are eleven sub-folders listed. The last one is “Programs & Scholarships. Opening up this folder shows a list of twelve programs. The thirteenth item is “Program Scholarship Summary Packet.pdf”. This is a seven page brochure that summarizes the scholarships that are possible to receive from The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, and SAL programs. Someone took the time to add them all up for a total of $717,625. This brochure also has a map showing counties and districts, along with a list showing which district each county is in.

We will attend a tribute to our veterans who served in the Middle East. This activity is scheduled for November 12, at Hard Rock Casino. DAV Chapter 17 and Wicker Park Memorial Fund will be hosts. First District will be listed on the program as one of the sponsors. Before the dinner, we will have a table to share the American Legion information. Guest speaker will be former prisoner of war Jennifer Lynch. After the dinner, Tripin Billies (Chicago’s Dave Mathews Tribute Band) will perform.

There are thirty-four committees in the district. Twenty four of them had department level meetings during the fall conference.

Thanks to the people who represented the district for those meetings. If you can visit a district meeting, you can hear reports about what is ongoing at department and district levels. These committees are tools for implementing awards and activities. Not all committees have a report at each district meeting, but normally there is a least one report for each committee during the year.

All of the committees are related to the American Legion program areas. All post commanders are encouraged to represent their post and the district meeting. If you have the opportunity to participate in district or department level activities, please do. I would like to encourage all of our members to visit other posts in addition to their own. See what other posts do. Support other post’s dinners. The American Legion is a large family. Each post has its own constitution and bylaws, but all posts are united by the preamble of the national organization’s constitution. We all strive to give to our communities. We all need to add an additional program to our own post. If half of the district’s posts could nominate a candidate Law Officer or Fire Fighter or EMS of the year, we would have to select the best candidate to represent the district. Hopefully we would end up with a candidate for each category. The next edition of the Hoosier Legionnaire will be in 2023. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and a prosperous New Year.

John Mort

Greetings from the mighty Second District. As I sit here writing this article, the weather man is talking of rain and snow. Where did the summer and warm weather go? But, like everything else, time marches on and winter weather is just around the corner. Programs are in full swing with many of them accepting applications, or will soon be, so canvas your members and get qualified people submitted for these programs. Department American Legion College is now accepting applications; each district has two Legionnaires and one Sons of the American Legion spots. This course is the highest level of training offered by the department and teaches principles and techniques necessary for effective leadership within The American Legion Family. This program is open to all American Legion and Sons of the American Legion members. To learn more go to the department website indianalegion.org and under the members tab you will find info on when, where and requirements. Some of the other programs that have kicked off are flag education for fourth grade students; Hoosier Boys State is open to all young men entering their senior year of high school, and Junior Cadet Law Academy open to grades 9-12. These are all excellent programs for our youth. More info

on these, and all our programs, can be found on the department’s website indianalegion.org under the programs tab.

Membership in the second district is going well.

As of October 13th, we are in second place and closing in on the Eighth District.

As the saying goes “The Second District is second to none”, so we will be back in first place where we belong. Mylegion.org is a powerful tool for processing membership fast, accurately and conveniently. We in the Second District are working hard to get all our posts on mylegion.org and trained to use this tool to its fullest extent possible. It can be used for processing membership, checking payments on-line, seeing transfers in or out of the post and creating a roster of paid or unpaid members. This program can be accessed from a desk top computer, laptop, tablet or your phone. It’s just that easy. If anyone needs training on this system, please do not hesitate to contact myself, John Mort, at (574) 265-7147 johnmortusn@ yahoo.com or Jill Wable at (765) 427-8587 jillwable95@gmail.com. We would be more than willing to help you with getting on this program and any training that you may need.

In closing, I would like to invite everyone to attend a district meeting. They are usually on the third Sunday of the month at 2pm EST. For a complete list, go to the department website indianalegion.org and under the members tab you will find district meeting schedules.

Greetings from “The Mighty Third.” As we close in on the holiday season, I would like to ask everyone to please have a safe and enjoyable time with friends and family. By the time you are reading this, Halloween and Veterans Day have come and gone. I know a large number of posts in the district will be hosting parties for the little ghosts and goblins, and whatever else goes bump in the night. I hope these kids have a grand time. There will also be a number of adult Halloween parties. At those events, I hope that the costumes and characters that come out to those parties have an enjoyable time but remember to be careful on their return to their homes.

Following Halloween, we have Veterans Day. A great many posts will be having one, if not two, events celebrating this day. This is the day that I don’t mind hearing “Happy Veterans Day” from civilians. This is the day that we celebrate our fellow veterans and their families who supported them. I hope everyone has an enjoyable day.

trict hosted the traveling party escorting the Medal of Honor Flag along US 20. Post 297, New Carlisle, was the post of choice in the Third District, especially since it is right on US 20. After having a light lunch prepared by Post 297 (thank you, by the way), Commander Troiola had a short program wherein he presented to Post 297, one of the Medal of Honor license plates, a signed picture, and a specially made “Medal of Honor” highway sign for the post to proudly display. Again, thank you to Post 297 for making this happen. As we prepare for the holiday season, we also need to keep in mind that some, if not most of our programs, have either deadlines or starting dates that are fast approaching. I know that by now Flag Ed & Etiquette should be completed along with Americanism & Government tests. These programs are especially important as they reach out to the youth of our communities and show them that there is more to The American Legion and veterans than a bar full of cranky old men.

If you are not sure what programs are being offered by your local post (it really should be just about all of them), reach out to them and find out. It could be that at one time your local post had a lot of programs that they were sponsoring at the local level but over time, they have dropped by the

wayside due to either the main person running that program passed away or they just got tired of doing it and stopped. Get involved in your post so we can stop this downward spiral.

As usual, I would like to thank all the “Blue Hat Legionnaires” who help make all this happen. I am not going to be harping on membership (even though I probably should) but as a reminder to everyone, if you have not renewed yet, please do so as your membership is what helps drive our programs forward. Also, if you have not renewed, your membership expires at midnight on December 31, and therefore you would not be able to enjoy the benefits of membership. Also, if you are enrolled in “Legionnaires Insurance Trust,” the free Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage, and you have not renewed your membership, then that benefit goes away until you have renewed and re-enrolled in “LIT”.

For the upcoming holiday season, I know that many posts are going to be having Christmas and New Years Eve parties. Please be responsible and don’t drink and drive because I want to see as many of you as possible next year.

My wife and I would like to wish each and everyone of you out there a safe, enjoyable and Happy Holiday season. See you next year.

For God and Country

Karen Clark

Greetings from the Fabulous Fourth District. These last few months have flown by. I have a great group of officers and Legion members in every post in the district that are supporting me and the great American Legion. On October third we had the honor of having the American Legion National Commander Troiola and Department Commander Daube at Post 31 on Oct 3. It was a great honor to be able to pass the Medal of Honor Flag to members of the Department of Ohio. US highway 20 has been designated the Medal of Honor Highway across the country. We had a great turn out and many of our district members were able to speak with Commander Troila and Commander Daube. Commander Troila’s program this year is Be The One. Be the one that helps someone in their time of need. Do a Buddy Check with someone you served with. It may be just what they need on that day. There is a lot of info on Buddy Check on the national website.

We had a great department conference in October.

that helped me with the hospitality room and kept it running smoothly. I hope to see everyone again at the mid-winter conference in January.

Commander Daube is promoting the American Legion programs which have already started. Hoosier Boys State is now open for registration. Please contact your local high schools. This is open to boys in their junior year who will be seniors next year. I hope everyone who ordered their Flag Education packets have received them. This is a great program for fourth graders. Oratorical district competition is coming up in January and is open to high schoolers. There are a lot more programs that you can check out on the Department website. These programs show our communities what the American Legion is all about. If parents see what we do for the youth of our community they could be inclined to join.

We are having a drivealong on October 28th in the northern part of our district. We will be with our Fourth District Sons of the American Legion Commander Gressley and our membership chairpersons. It will be great to visit some of our northern posts. We plan on January for our southern posts to participate. Membership is very important for the continued success

2nd DISTRICT COMMANDER

4th DISTRICT COMMANDER

Rob KellEy

3rd DISTRICT COMMANDER

Steve Short

5TH DISTRICT COMMANDER

With the National Convention over and the Indiana Mid-Winter Conference approaching, I am updating our “Mighty Fifth District” with what is happening. To date, your district officers have visited over two thirds of our posts in the district and we will continue to visit every post prior to Christmas. After many post visits, we are pleased to see a great deal of you utilizing “MyLegion” for your membership duties. Unfortunately, we still have several posts that hesitate to venture into the “Meta” world. Being a seventy-two year old man, I understand your concerns. I’m constantly asking my grandchildren how to do stuff online.

As many of you have discovered, the National Organization has ceased to send individual posts of various documents they provided in the past. Gone is the post adjutant’s tool known as the “Greenbar” as well as

many other documents provided to both the American Legion and SAL adjutants.

Currently, ALL SAL documents are only available online. The reason is that MyLegion is now provided and I do not see National reversing course on this. This makes it imperative that all posts get and use MyLegion for their membership bookkeeping duties. Now the good news!

Our membership chairman, Dave Burnette, is willing to travel to any post in the district to teach and guide the post adjutant or membership chair on the use of MyLegion. In fact, we would be happy to set dates for several posts to meet and receive the class on the system’s use. You tell us how we can help and we will do our best to make you comfortable with the MyLegion system.

Finally, please continue to contact your local schools and introduce our youth programs to your area students. With winter approaching, oratorical contests, Hoosier Boys State applications, Law Cadet applications will all soon be upon us. Have a great fall season!

Judy Pearson

6TH DISTRICT COMMANDER

Greetings to all of our American Legion Family.

Since our last issue, it has been an exciting year of meeting new people at fifteen of our forty-four posts here in the sixth district. Learning about them as I travel around, here are just a few examples of what’s happening.

When I visited Carmel Post 155, I noticed they hold quarterly “meet and greet’ with their new post commander, so members of their post can get to know Richard Curtis better. I’ve seen “meet and greets” at the national and state level, but not the post. They have found it’s a successful opportunity from 5pm to 7pm to sit back, relax and enjoy a beverage with their new commander.

Recently, there was an on-line article by Josh on Noblesville, Post 45 and the $10K donation from the city of Noblesville they

received. Post 45 is very integrated with the Noblesville community, and they have sold their building, in favor of renovating new property for their Post. We hope to see this finished in the spring of 2023.

Our largest post, Brownsburg #331 had National Commander Jim Troiola visit as part of his week spent traveling Indiana. Brownsburg was his last stop on Thursday, October 6. There was a pleasant reception and light meal for the commander’s visit. Commander Troiola spoke on both his projects, Be the One and V.E.T.S. It is Commander Troiola’s goal to travel the nation during his year, and visit as many small posts as possible; in as many states as possible.

Last year, I served our nursing home program. My plan was to go to several meetings in the area, and get donations for the local nursing homes. I knew we were going to purchase items from Dollar Tree and deliver the items on a holiday. I was excited to hear about Greencastle Post 58’s contribution to eighty-one

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We need help in the Firefighters, law officer, EMS, and Teacher of the Year program. If you know of someone in your area, please let us know and I will help you with the application.

Ron Arrington

8th DISTRICT COMMANDER

Congratulations to our new Department Commander James Daube, and to his staff. I am looking forward to working with them to achieve their goals for 2022-2023 year. I want to thank past Eighth District Commander Kevin Brinksneader, and his officers, for a job well done for the past year.

My primary focus this year is on membership and veteran programs. We have done a pretty good job in the past. After all we did finish fourth in district last year. I believe we all have developed a routine of good communication with our assigned posts, and have been somewhat successful. However, we must improve

Lonny Barnett

9TH DISTRICT COMMANDER

Greetings and Salutations to my fellow Ninth District Legionnaires, the Auxiliary and Sons of The American Legion. As the fall conference wrapped, it’s clear that we are on track to meet our membership targets and maximize participation in our programs. As I continue to visit our district posts, I am continually encouraged by the level of community involvement and the dedication to improving the lives of our fellow veterans. With this in mind, I would like to recognize Post 235, Smith-Ashcraft-Kissell in Milan. Through a possible ‘once in a lifetime’ event, the post’s most recent treasure hunt has provided tre-

our communication and focus on what we need to do with each post for them to become pro-active in membership. They all seem to go through an annual routine and really need to change their approach. This means each vice commander will need to visit and assist their membership chairperson on a regular basis to set goals, review the goals, and find out what it takes to grow membership. I know from my experience that a post tried to contact members who dropped out in the past couple of years, but really didn’t put in an effort that works. I know of another post that wrote a couple of letters to past members, followed up with phone calls, invited them in for a meeting to include maybe a free drink to let them know why their membership is important, and was very successful. It takes some work, but it works. That post hit 110% in membership! In-

mendous opportunities for the leadership of the post’s American Legion Family to impact the lives of those in their community and beyond. To be able to donate significantly to their local emergency services, school district, area TAL Posts, VFW, VVA and specific individuals in need, the post is harvesting tremendous levels of good will throughout the district. One individual in particular is Marine Corporal and St Joseph Post 464 member, Kelsee Lainhart. The Milan Post was extremely generous in their donation to Kelsee and her family, which will go a long way to aid in her recovery and transition back home in the near future. Thank you, Commander Ruggles and your dedicated team in Milan. Best of luck in your future endeavors.

Brookville Post 77 hosted a POW/MIA Remembrance event on September

stead of waiting late in the year, each post needs to contact at least ten of these members each month with follow-ups. I’m requesting each vice commander to provide a report at each district meeting as to their success.

Remember, it’s everyone’s job in growing our membership. Whenever you are out for dinner or shopping, and you see someone wearing a hat or shirt with military reference, introduce yourself and ask them if they are a veteran. You just made the first huge step in potentially growing our membership! I am confident our district committee appointments will continue to do an excellent job, as we have in the past. These committees are vital in the success of The American Legion as we support our veterans and their families, youth programs, etc. I am looking

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17th with retired Brigadier General Brian Copes as the guest speaker, a Franklin County native. A military member from the community started the ceremony two years ago, in his backyard. He and fellow veterans read the names of 223 POW/MIA missing from the Korean and Vietnam War from the state of Indiana. Only a few people attended, but it was meaningful. This year the ceremony had eleven different veterans who read the names, and two families of those missing also participated in the ceremony by reading some names and telling the audience about their family member. It’s difficult to know exactly what they’ve gone through over the years, but the post made sure those families knew they had support. While the names were read, a screen

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DAVE ROACH

10TH DISTRICT COMMANDER

As we head into the doldrums of winter, let’s not forget our brothers and sisters suffering from mental disorders. The short, dreary days further add to the gloom and despair these

Yvette Fancher

11TH DISTRICT COMMANDER

HELL-O

SEVENTH! We had a good fall conference; a lot of updates at our committee meetings. And, I hope we have a good turnout for the mid-winter conference, as well.

To all posts, mid-winter will be having training sessions on gaming, and the new rules of the alcohol commission. Come out to listen and ask questions to stay up to date.

I am asking all posts to get out to visit your local schools to remind them about the American Legion programs; from flag etiquette, boys state, oratorical, scholarships offered, and many others.

I know that membership has had a slow start this year, but please remember your fifty-year members, members in the nursing homes, and if you have any member(s) at IVH.

Also, do your Buddy Checks. If you haven’t seen a member lately, call and check on them or perhaps stop by to visit them if they’re close by.

If you need help with calling or want a visit to your post, feel free to let me know.

I hope you have a great holiday season this year and look forward to seeing what the new year will bring for all of us.

Hello 11th District!!

We’re a few months into our new year and things are moving right along. We have slipped slightly in our membership, but we are putting more ideas in place to improve our current slide. We won’t let that discourage us and will continue to push and use our time, ideas, and efforts for an organization we love. Many activities went on in the 11th District. Fall Conference went well. We were so fortunate to have such wonderful weather this time. National American Legion Commander Troiola visited several posts and participated in several events throughout our dis-

people suffer from. That’s why buddy checks are so important. One brief call could make a difference as to whether a friend or fellow Legion member stays alive and continues to make a difference in the world.

Along with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental disorders, suicidal tendencies are also prevalent. Anywhere from fourteen to twenty-two veterans commit suicide

trict. His message of BE THE ONE, which has also been adopted by the Sons of the American Legion National Commander Chris Carlton was a VERY strong message and campaign for many years to come. Indiana is VERY proud of all our national officers and National Madame President Vicki Koutz.

The Mid-Winter Conference will be strictly a TRAINING Conference. Any new officers, committee chairs, etc… are more than welcome to attend any training sessions. Also, anyone interested in refreshing or expanding their current knowledge is strongly encouraged.

The VA Medical Center, 1481 W. 10th Street, Indianapolis, 46202 now has a Veteran Legal Clinic every 2nd Tuesday of each month, 11am – 4pm. Location in the VA varies; PLEASE ask the front desk. No cost, no

every day. That is way too many. The new veteran’s suicide hotline is 988. This condensed number makes it easier to call with just having to remember three numbers. We need to stress buddy calls for this also. BE THE ONE that makes a difference. BE THE ONE that makes the calls. BE THE ONE that offers support and stability to the ones that need it. BE THE ONE!!

appointment but you MUST be signed in by 3pm. For more information, please contact Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO), 317-9883856.

And please don’t forget another important program, Flag Education is currently underway. Please contact Jerry Traub, 317-850-0844 for additional information.

Don’t forget the Veterans Day Parade will be held downtown Indianapolis, starts at NOON, starting at Michigan and Pennsylvania streets.

The weather is turning a bit cooler, and October and November seem to be slow times when it comes to membership but we can’t slow our pace when it comes to our efforts to serve, be involved, and continue to strive for the best for our American Legion Family.

Dale McDonald

7TH DISTRICT COMMANDER

FIGHTING

DEPARTMENT COMMISSION REPORTS

Internal Affairs Commission

Rob Burkhart Commission Chairman

The American Legion Department of Indiana Internal Affairs Commission Report for Fall Conference 2022-2023. The Internal Affairs Commission met on October 1, 2022, at the Marriott East Hotel in Indianapolis, In. The following reports were given.

American Legion Riders: The ALR meeting was opened in proper form by Lonnie Boyce, in Salon A at 15:00. The roll call showed there were 8 members present, 4 absent, and 2 guests. Districts 1, 3, 7, & 10 were not represented. Motion to accept the previous meeting minutes made and approved. There was no old business. Under new business: A report from the State Chapter Director Jeff Everman.

Indiana State Legacy run: A motion was made for funds to allow Department to cover the liability Insurance for the State Legacy run. Amount to be determined later.

There was also a motion made requesting 2 hours for the meeting in July.

Community Involvement: No meeting / no report

Convention Contests: No meeting / no report

FF / LEO / EMS Awards: Nick Nicoloff opened the meeting in regular form, in Salon B at 10:30. The roll call showed 12 members present, 0 absent, and 8 guests. All districts were represented. There was no old business. Under new business a motion was made and passed to remove the vice chairman position. There was a discussion on and a motion made to have a trifold brochure published that has an overview of the programs and the qualifi-

4TH DISTRICT COMMANDER from page 4

of our organization. My membership chairperson is Pat Esslinger from Post 157 in Churubusco. Pat and I would really like us to finish in first place this year. We do have a way to go, but I’m sure with all your help that we can make that goal. Engage your younger veterans to recruit new members.

When they do join, ask what The Legion can do for them and their family, and give them some ownership in their posts. The ten year membership is a great way to save on your dues. Ten year memberships are $350, and it locks in your dues for ten years. It is a great alternative to a lifetime membership.

I want to encourage all members to attend our district meetings and see how the district can help your post. We are always here to help. You can meet the district officers and see how they can help, also. There is always valuable information shared at these meetings. We can also answer any question, or find the answer to any question you may have. The district meetings are on the first

cations we are looking for to help when approaching departments for recommendations. This was also approved. Finally, there was a request for copies of winners packets from previous year to pass out to districts. District reports were given showing about ½ of the districts already working on candidates for this year. There were no funds requested. Meeting was adjourned at 10:45.

Legislative: The Legislative meeting was opened in proper form by chair Mark Gullion at 11:00 in Salon B. The roll call showed there were 22 members present, 0 Absent, 4 guests. All districts were represented. Old business: We are not part of the Coalition!! State House is not happy with them.

New Business: Big four is going to take over the Veterans Legislative Day. Gaming machines are dead.

The Big Four Legislative Priorities for 2023 are as follows.

1. Funding the grans for Veterans Services program managed by the Indiana Department of Veterans affairs (IDVA) by expanding charitable gaming opportunities. Revenue for the fund will be provided by proceeds from charity gaming terminals in Congressionally chartered veterans service organizations (VSO) facilities. Legislation will strictly limit total number of charity gaming terminals allowed in the state and equally share revenue between the IDVA, VSOs and provider.

Annual excess funds will be transferred t the Indiana Department of Veteran Affairs to be used for grants according to Indiana Code 10-1713.5

2. Exempt all military related income from

Thursday of every month at 7:30pm. You can check the department website for meeting dates, times and location. You can also contact me for information.

Lastly, I look forward to seeing all of you soon. If you need to contact me, you can email kjeanclark@ gmail.com.

God Bless the United States and the American Legion.

6TH DISTRICT COMMANDER from page 5

veterans in various nursing homes recently when I visited their monthly meeting.

My husband joined me for our visit to Zionsville Post 79 on the second Friday of the month to enjoy their “Catfish and Steak” dinner. All of their Legion family comes together to put on their affordable dinner. It so happened that part of their large turn-out included Phil Krumm, the service training officer from Indiana Department of Veteran Affairs (IDVA). Phil is over all of our Veterans Service Organizations from every county serving Indiana. It was quite an acknowledgement to the wonderful job Zionsville does in offering that dinner

Indiana income tax

3. Modify IC 21-14-4 Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Veterans to extend the same benefit to the “spouse” of a disabled veteran. There should be no age restriction for the spouse of a disabled veteran. Remove Section IC 2114-4-2.5 dealing with tuition and fee exemption for disable veterans who enlisted after or otherwise initially served in the armed forces of the United States after June 30, 2011. All eligible children of disabled veterans should be entitled to 100% tuition and fee exemption.

4. Waive daily entrance fee at all Indiana State Parks for Indiana Veterans.

Or

Waive daily entrance fee at all Indiana State Parks for Disabled Indiana Veterans.

There was discussion on the above priorities after their reading.

Membership: Roger Hilligoss opened the meeting in regular form, in Salon 4-5 at 15:00. The roll call showed there 21 members present, 3 absent, 11 guests. All districts were represented. Motion to accept minutes from last meeting made and approved. There was no old business. Under new business the following was discussed.

1. Reviewed current standings

2. Reviewed incentive program

3. Distributed Family membership ribbons and early bird chips

4. Training by Audrey Copeland and Aaron Bacon

a. Member data form

b. Helpful tips for using mylegion.org

c. 10 year member list updated

There were no funds requested and the meeting was finished with a ques-

to its community.

As we look at programs, membership, awards, or community involvement, how does your post measure up? Do you have a Path to Success for these areas? You all need to find out what is important to you and your post. We may have a goal for something but it is better if we have a plan, or Path to Success, to accomplish this goal.

So, what is your PATH TO SUCCESS this year?

Another way for a Path TO SUCCESS is on an individual level. Do you want to be an effective leader for your post or district? As a prior graduate of the Indiana Department Legion College in April of 2022, I would encourage you to join the next class scheduled for April 12-14, 2023. It is for ALL Legion members, or Sons of the American Legion, who desire to become an effective leader through the organizational structure of the American Legion. Go to this link for more info: https://www.indianalegion.org/college

If this is not for you, do you ever think, do I really know what the American Legion is all about? Well, you should take the online

tion-and-answer session.

Post Education: No meeting / no report

Public Relations: No meeting / no report

Religious Emphasis:

Rev. Norris Keirn opened the meeting in regular form, in Salon A at 15:00. The roll call showed there were 13 members present, 1 absent, and 1 guest. All districts were represented. The new Chaplains were recognized and welcomed. Rev. Keirn went on to say that Chaplains need to stay “nonpolitical, we serve to further the cause of God in the Legion. Chaplains are people who can be approached by any one at any time. Chaplains are tools in the hands of God to lift up the people. Chaplains are those that stand in as support for commanders as we work together for God. Buddy Checks are Important.

Motion was made to hold Chaplain Training at Mid-winter conference and a 2-hour block was recommended. There were no funds requested.

Youth Cadet Law Enforcement Academy: The meeting was opened in proper form by Mark Gullion, in Salon B at 14:00. The roll call showed there were 17 members present, 0 absent, 3 guests. All districts were represented. Old business: We had no contract with Anderson University last year. There were cadets from Ohio and 2 adults from Ohio at last years Academy. Post 64 paid for the cadets. If we have cadets and adults from out of state, they will pay their own way and for their cadets. We don’t care if they are there if it does not stop an Indiana cadet from attending. Indiana cadets come first.

New business: Organizational meeting will be held on October 25th to reorganize and ensure we have our “ducks” in a row. The academy is now a line item in the budget so we can keep

Basic Training course at your pace at https://www. legion.org/alei.

It covers six different areas on, history and organization, veterans affairs & rehabilitation, national security, Americanism, children and youth and course conclusion.

In closing, let’s continue to GROW as FRIENDS on this journey to helping our fellow veterans. My email is judy.pearson88@yahoo. com if you need help or just want to talk.

9TH DISTRICT COMMANDER from page 5

portrayed the veteran’s picture, gave details about his service, and where they went missing. They also had posters set up along the back of the room that listed 1,501 missing in World War II from Indiana. Bagpipes played Amazing Grace to close out the ceremony. One of the organizers, Bridget Hayes, said, “A lot of times people say they will never forget those missing, but today we actually got to SHOW that we will never forget. Seeing the families here was great. We are very happy that we could honor their loved ones.”

track of funds from year to year. The 2023 academy will have a maximum of 75 cadets and will run from July 16-22, 2023. Registration will open in January at trooper.org. Indiana State Police control the registration and it will include medical clearance this year. Based on last year, we may have to raise the tuition fees to cover the costs. Need to look at the figures from last year. Larry Lawry stressed the importance of the orientation class that the districts need to do prior to the academy start date. District responsibility is to contact the cadets and make sure they know what to bring, and to conduct the orientation. District reports were given. Currently there are 4 Legion counselors signed up. There were no additional funds requested and the meeting adjourned at 15:00.

IMVHOF: No meeting / no report Department Legion College: Rich Brown opened the meeting in proper form in Salon A at 11:00. The roll call showed there were 11 members present, 0 absent, and 6 guests. All districts were represented. There were no minutes from the previous meeting. There was no old business. Under new business the next DLC will be held prior to Spring conference on April 12-14, which is a change from the previous minutes due to a change of date for Spring conference. Application process will open by October 15th. The breakdown of how the slots are allocated by district was discussed and presented by Rich Brown. Basically, each district gets 2 slots. Each district chair should talk to Legionnaires and Sons to get applicants. District reports were made. There were no new funds requested.

Seymour Post 89 had the privilege of hosting TAL National Commander Vincent J Troiola on October 5th as he continued his travels throughout the state from north to south. We had an entertaining and lively discussion, and enjoyed lunch with the commander and his fellow visitors. Thanks so much to Commander Nourse and his American Legion Family for hosting a great visit and lunch for us all.

Best of luck to all Ninth District Posts, and the entire Department of Indiana, for the remainder of the year. Until we all meet again for the Mid-Winter Conference, God Bless. forward to working with the Sons of the American Legion, the American Auxiliary and the American Legion Riders.

8TH DISTRICT COMMANDER from page 5

Thanks to the Eighth District for my elected position and confidence as your district eight commander. It is an honor to serve, and I accept the challenge. Please contact me if I can be of assistance.

Americanism Commission

The committee is working on getting a list of all JROTC programs in the state.

Ron Hoaks Commission Chairman

The commission met at 4:00 p.m. on October1, 2022, in Salon A of the Marriott East Hotel during the Fall Conference. Chairman Ron Hoaks opened the meeting in proper form. Roll call was conducted, and all were present. The following reports were given by the respective committee chairpersons.

Junior ROTC

Meeting was opened by Chairperson Greg Peete at 10:30 a.m. on October 1, 2022 in Salon C. Roll call was conducted, 9 members were present, 2 were absent and no guests were present. The 5th and 7th Districts were not represented. Previous minutes were read and accepted. There was a discussion on the application of their scholarship. A motion was made to table the scholarship parameters until till next meeting.

There were no resolutions or additional requests for funding. Meeting adjourned.

Golf Meeting was opened by Chairperson Gary Stiles at 10:00 a.m. on October 1, 2022 in Salon D. Roll call was conducted, 10 members were present, and 1 absent and 9 guest was present. 4th District was absent. Previous minutes were read and accepted.

Trophies were passed out to the winners or a representative for the 2022 tournament. Brownsburg Post 331 had the state team winners.

There was only one bid from Kokomo to host the 2023 tournament. A motion was made and passed to allow Kokomo to host the June 24th and 25th, 2023 Legion tournament. The price per golfer will be $90.00.

There were no resolutions or additional requests for funding. Meeting adjourned.

Baseball Executive Meeting was opened by Chairperson Owen Wells at 1:00 p.m. on October 1, 2022 in Salon C. Roll call was conducted, 8 members were present, and 1 absent and 0 guest was present. Previous minutes were read and accepted.

Chairman Owen explained due to weather the decision to move the remaining state finals to Kokomo.

There was discussion on looking for a site for state finals around Indianapolis.

The board discussed on possibly going to 4 regionals next year and taking the winners and runners up to the state finals.

There were no resolutions or additional requests for funding. Meeting adjourned. Baseball Meeting was opened by Chairperson Owen Wells at 2:00 p.m. on October 1, 2022 in Salon C. Roll call was conducted; all members were present and 8 guests. Previous minutes were read and accepted.

Department’s scholarship winner Caleb Nobel from Muncie was also awarded

Children & Youth Commission

Americanism & Government Committee Meeting

Boys State Enrollment Committee Meeting

2nd in the National scholarship worth $2500.

Dan Sherman discussed having a Junior National Tournament in Valparaiso.

Caleb Bard from Newburg won the Junior’s division Joe Kusciak mental attitude award.

Managers and coaches are courage to attend the January 14th, 2023 MidWinter meeting to hear schedule and rule changes.

Anyone on the field must have background checks and complete the child abuse education training.

Owen Wells reported he is stepping down as Baseball Committee Chairman.

There were no resolutions or additional requests for funding. Meeting adjourned.

S.A.L Advisory Meeting was opened by Chairperson Larry Horvath at 3:00 p.m. on October 1, 2022 in Salon D. Roll call was conducted, 13 members were present, 3 absent. The 3rd, 4th, and 10th were not represented. Previous minutes were read and accepted. Three resolutions were made matter of record for NEC David Hanson,

CEWF / IVETS Committee Meeting

Alt. NEC Joe Sholtis, and Southern Vice Commander Steven Brach for 2023 –2024.

There were no resolutions or additional requests for funding. Meeting was adjourned.

Bowling Meeting was opened by Chairperson David Hurtt at 3:00 p.m. on October 1, 2022 in Salon B. Roll call was conducted, 14 members were present, 5 were absent and 1 guest present. The 8th and 9th were not represented. Previous minutes were read and accepted. No proposals for the 2024 tournament have been received.

The 2023 tournament will be at MVP Lanes in Fort Wayne on March 4Th - 5th and March 11th – 12th , 2023. Reserved must be in by January 15th, 2023. There were no resolutions or additional requests for funding. Meeting was adjourned.

Ron Patterson Commission Chairman

The Children & Youth Commission meeting was opened in due form by Commission Chair Ron Patterson at the Department Fall Conference October 1, 2022, at the Marriott East. Chairman Patterson asked for the respective Committee chairs to provide their reports. There were no requests for funds and no resolutions made. The meeting was adjourned in due form.

American Legion Family Scholarship Committee Meeting

The American Legion Family Scholarship Committee Meeting was held on October 1, 2022, in Salon C of the Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel.

The meeting was opened in proper form by Chair Wayne Zeman.

There were 12 members present, one absent, and 3 guests. The 11th District was not represented.

Department Programs

Director Wendy McGuiness informed the Committee that the Finance Committee has decided not to invite the winners to Convention going forward due to the cost. The awardees will be announced and a short bio read while their picture is up on the screen at Convention going forward.

A selection committee was named for Spring Conference, committee members will be Mike Fowler (10th), Andy Henderson (5th), Kevin Cobb (6th), John McGee (7th), and James May (7th). The committee will not meet at the Mid-Winter Conference.

A moment of silence was observed in the memory of Past NEC Darrell Hansel.

There were no resolutions or funds requested. The Selection Committee will meet at the Spring Conference.

The meeting was adjourned in proper form by Chair Wayne Zeman at 11:30AM.

The Americanism & Government Committee Meeting was held on October 1, 2022, in Salon D of the Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel.

The meeting was opened in proper form by Chair Rees Morgan. There were 11 members present and 9 guests. The 7th District was not represented.

The committee tasked all District committee members to reach out to the educators in their areas and promote the value of citizenship and civic awareness in the program. The 2021 program was a great success and we need to keep up the good work. There were nearly 4,000 participants last year with nearly 95% taking place online. The committee will continue to have an American Legion proctor in the classroom to ensure the integrity of the testing procedure. All proctors will be provided American Legion credentials to present if needed to enter the classrooms. The tests will be administered during school days between 0900 – 1600 EST. Dates for testing will be November 1-30th. The committee will meet during the Mid-Winter Conference.

There were no resolutions or funds requested.

The meeting was adjourned in proper form by Chair Rees Morgan at 11:50AM.

Boy Scouts Committee Meeting

The American Legion Boy Scouts Committee Meeting was held on October 1, 2022, in Salon E of the Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel.

The meeting was opened in proper form by Chair Anna Murphy.

There were 9 members present, 1 absent, and 3 guests. The 4th & 7th Districts were not represented. The committee discussed designing of a Boy Scouts pin to be sold as a fundraiser.

There was no request for funds or resolutions made. Meeting was adjourned.

The American Legion Boys State Enrollment Committee Meeting was held on October 1, 2022, in Salon 1-3 of the Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel. All members were present and there were 12 guests present. Chairman Mason opened the meeting in due form. The District Chairs provided their respective reports. A current delegate list was provided to each member. Chairman Mason requested that each member hand out current information on how the application process works. There were no resolutions or requests for funds. The meeting was adjourned in due form.

Children & Youth Committee Meeting

The American Legion Children & Youth Committee Meeting was held on October 1, 2022, in Salon E at the Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel. Not present were the 9th District, Chair Dave Sharber & Vice Chair Doug Howard. The meeting was opened in due form by Vice Chairman Darrell Bowman. Vice Chairman Bowman will email flyers to the committee members regarding program information. Vice Chair Bowman made a motion to select Riley Children’s Hospital as the committee’s charitable organization to receive funds from the committee, 2nd was made by Laurie Bowman from the 10th. Motion passed. Chair Bowman asked if each District could donate $100.00 towards the charity. Districts who would like to donate should make checks payable directly to Riley Hospital. Vice Chair Bowman will reach out to Riley Hospital to get some promotional material to help with fundraising for the project. Ken Hilton suggested that members contact local PTO’s / PTA’s to help get the word out to parents that The American Legion has many scholarships available to them. There were no resolutions or requests for funds. The meeting was adjourned in due form.

The CEWF / IVETS Committee Meeting was held on October 1, 2022, in Salon B of the Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel.

The meeting was opened in proper form by Chairman Brian Barnett.

All Districts were represented and there were 4 guests. Members not present were Sharber, Brown & Connors. There was discussion regarding whether internet fees, Wi-Fi and auto repairs should be paid for through this committee. It was decided that these items would be handled on a case-by-case basis. The committee discussed how to make it easier for Posts to determine if applications should be accepted or not. The committee made the decision that they will work to develop a process for Do’s & Don’ts for Posts to follow. There were no requests for funds and no resolutions made. The meeting was closed in due form.

Flag Education Committee Meeting

The Flag Education Committee Meeting was held on October 1, 2022, in Salon D of the Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel.

The meeting was opened in proper form by Chairman Tom Frederick. There were 12 members present with 3 absent. Chairman Frederick reported that there were 63 posts that participated in the 2021-2022 Flag Education program, which was up from 57 posts last year. The 9th District sent out letters to schools to help identify which schools participated and if not, why, to better understand how they can get better participation this year. Ralph Boyer from the 10th District said that he would be going to Department to pick up more comic books and tests for those posts that did not meet the Fall Conference deadline. Post 510 does a flag folding ceremony including the meaning of each fold as a part of their program. Some of the other suggestions were to talk to the kids about their families, Veterans and allow them to come up front and touch the

flags to keep them engaged during the presentation. Possibly provide gift cards for the Post winners. 2nd District said that they have been working hard already to get into schools. District 3 stated that they needed to focus on getting into the home schools in the Nappanee & Goshen areas. There were no resolutions or requests for funds. The meeting was adjourned in due form.

Junior Shooting Sports Committee Meeting

The Junior Shooting Sports Committee Meeting was held on October 1, 2022, in Salon 6 of the Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel.

The meeting was opened in proper form by Chairman Steve Scroggins. There were 9 members present and 3 absent. The 7th & 9th Districts were not represented. The state match will be held March the 4th, 2023 at the Greenfield fairgrounds.

There were no resolutions or requests for funds. The meeting was adjourned in due form.

Oratorical Committee Meeting

The Oratorical Committee Meeting was held on October 1, 2022, in Salon D of the Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel.

The meeting was opened in proper form by Chairman James Grauvogl. There were 16 members present and all Districts were represented. The committee requested that the dates for District and Zone competitions be turned in as soon as possible. The Department competition will be held March 5th, 2023. There will be a new contestant information sheet and judge biography handed out for registered students. Volunteers are needed for Department and National competitions. No covers are to be worn at Department or National level competitions. There were no resolutions or requests for funds. The meeting was adjourned in due form.

DEPARTMENT COMMISSION REPORTS

Rehabilitation Commission

Roll call was conducted. 10 members were present and 1 member absent.

Roger Hilligoss

MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPERSON

The Rehabilitation Commission met at 4:30pm on October 1, 2022 in Salon C of the Marriott East Hotel during the Fall Conference. Chairman Roger Hilligoss opened the meeting in proper form. Roll call was conducted. 8 members were present and 1 member absent (but excused). The following reports were given by the respective Committee Chairmen.

Employment Meeting was opened in proper form by Chairman William Parks at 2pm in Salon C of the Marriott East Hotel on October 1, 2022.

Employment awards were discussed. Also discussed the role of Devop’s and LEVR’s. There were no resolutions and no request for additional funds. Meeting was adjourned.

General Hospital Meeting was opened in proper form by Chairman Rex Ikemire at 12pm in Salon a of the Marriott East Hotel on October 1, 2022.

Roll call was conducted. 31 members present, 14 members absent and 4 guests.

The budget for the new program year was reviewed and discussed. There were no resolutions and no requests for additional funds. Meeting was adjourned.

Homeless Veterans

Meeting was opened in proper form by Chairman Ben Olsen . Roll call was conducted. 14 members present, 1 member absent and 3 guests.

The 11th District representative gave a report concerning supplies for the homeless veterans. Chairman Olsen reported that an on-line directory of Homeless Facilities that will help veterans is being developed. All District Chairmen are to report what facilities are available in their districts by December 1, 2022. There were no resolutions and no requests for additional funds. Meeting was adjourned.

Indiana Veterans Home Meeting was opened in proper form by Chairmen Jack Platt at 10:30am in Salon E of the Marriott East Hotel on October 1, 2022.

Roll call was conducted. 20 members present, 3 members absent and 11 guests.

It was discussed that a Trailer Manufacturing company has remodeled the library and new chairs are needed to complete the project. Paul Stewart made a motion to approve $1,155.00 to purchase the chairs. Motion was seconded by Al Pulido. Motion carried.

District visitations were discussed. Also discussed the need to be able to more efficiently track the American Legion membership of the residents. There were no resolutions and no requests for additional funds. Meeting was adjourned.

Nursing Home Meeting was opened in proper form by Chairman James Grauvogl. Roll call

was conducted. 15 members present, 0 absent and 4 guests.

The budget for the new program year was reviewed and discussed.

There were no resolutions and no requests for additional funds. Meeting was adjourned.

Veterans Assistance Meeting was opened in proper form by Chairman Larry Burkhart at 1pm in Salon C of the Marriott East Hotel on October 1, 2022. Roll call was conducted. 12 members present, 7 members absent and 2 guests. A guest speaker made a presentation on the Indy Vet House. She stated that 22 beds are accessible but they require VA referral. There were no resolutions and no requests for additional funds. Meeting was adjourned.

Indiana Legion service officers continue to represent more veterans year over year

“We’ll never forget”: Post 182 hosts 9/11 ceremony

ber and veteran Bill McCoy attended the gathering and noted the importance of September 11, 2001. He called the events of the day one of the most important in American history and said people need to take time and reflect on U.S. history.

who lost their life that day,” Ayer said.

Plus, Post 182 wanted to remember and pay tribute to all the first responders who were so selfless that day and raced to save others only to lose their own lives.

what really happened,” Ayer said.

NEW PALESTINE — A steady rain continuously hit the top of the shelter at Sugar Creek Township Park. Underneath the wooden structure, a gathering of about 20 members of New Palestine American Legion Post 182 and their family members gathered despite the showers to pay respect to those who perished on Sept. 11, 2001.

Sunday marked the 21st Anniversary of one of the most heartbreaking days in the nation’s history, when terrorists attacked the United States and killed 2,996 people who lost their lives at the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and on United Flight 93 over Pennsylvania.

While the steady rain forced the group to seek shelter rather than participate in a planned ceremony surrounding the flags at the Veterans Memorial at Sugar Creek Park, the weather could not stop the sentiment as officials with Post 182 said it’s important to never forget what happened that day when so many innocent people lost their lives on American soil.

“We’re just trying to maintain awareness about the events that happened on September 11 because people do forget,” Post Commander Terry Ordille said. “Things seem to kind of fade away as times go on and we just can’t let that happen.”

Longtime Post 182 mem-

“Those of us who lived through World War II remember the events of Pearl Harbor very well and we remember something like the assassination of President John F. Kennedy which was huge and for me; 9/11 is number three on the list of those tragic events,” McCoy said.

Following a prayer, and honoring the American Flag, former Post 182 Commander, Tom Ayer gave a heartfelt speech and noted last year during the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 many around the United States paid special tribute on the day, but he said this year things have been more subdued.

“It just seems like the days leading up to today, the official 21st Anniversary, there really hasn’t been really any real awareness, but we believe regardless of the year it is very important to remember all the people

“We want to thank them always for the work they do,” Ayer said.

During his speech, Ayer noted the events of 9/11 are something people who were alive that day must share with the youth of the country who really can’t understand what it was like on Sept. 11, 2001 — a horrendous day that will never be forgotten.

“What does it mean to say, ‘I will never forget?’ We all forget things all the time,” Ayer said. “But, in this case, we will keep this moment, this memory just as it was that day, forever.”

Ayer noted it takes an extraordinary effort in the form of stories, art work, holidays and holding events like the one Post 182 members did in order to make sure people reflect, share, if even for a few moments, and never forget how many lives were altered.

“Everyone here is a breadcrumb to tell the future

For Ordille, he’ll never forget where he was Sept. 11, 2001. Unlike most of the world that day, he was not glued to a television set. Ordille was camping in the wilderness with a friend. He found out about 9/11 several days afterward and had trouble believing it was real.

“It was all so unbelievable,” Ordille said.

Ayer was off work Sept. 11, 2001 and said he got word a plane had stuck the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m., but didn’t think anything evil was a foot.

However, when he saw the second plane fly into the World Trade Center at 9:03 a.m., like most, he knew the crash was not an accident. Ayer said he and his wife then watched the events unfold in disbelief. The Pentagon was struck shortly after by another plane at 9:37 a.m. Then at 9:59 a.m. the South Tower collapsed. That was followed by the crash of flight 93 in Pennsylvania at 10:07 a.m. The north tower then collapsed at 10:28 a.m.

“It was an unbelievable and horrible day, a day we will never forget,” Ayer said.

By Kristy Deer, The Daily Reporter